Political Media Review

…we are animals, and aren’t able to decide not to have feelings. Just like the earth, we are going to quake if sufficiently shaken. We don’t get to choose whether or not traumatic events will damage our psychic infrastructure.

Ballerina’s with wrenches, a stubborn Miss Muffet and high heel cloning projects are just 3 of the 27 gender bending scenarios in Jacinta Bunnell and Julie Novak’s Girl’s are not Chick’s coloring book. A yellow front and back cover is filled with multi-colored stars, the front featuring an upside down chick and on the flip side, a broken shell with the following definition

Winged Migration (2001) is a visually stunning “documentary-adventure” that follows several communities of birds on their seasonal migratory journeys. Although the migrations are set to music and the flapping of the birds’ wings can be heard in many scenes, the film is primarily a visual experience. There is very little narration in Winged Migration, which for the most part is shot from the perspective of the migrating birds.

Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights is a highly accessible introduction to animal rights alongside leading animal rights philosopher Tom Regan’s own story of transitioning to an animal friendly lifestyle.

If your children love creative projects, fun facts, and animals of all kinds For Kids Who Love Animals: A Guide to Sharing the Planet will be a great addition to their bookshelf.

Tribe of Heart’s documentary, Peaceable Kingdom, asks viewers how current factory farm practices can be justified given that the treatment of farm animals, while perfectly legal, is so undeniably cruel. This film advocates a reawakening of both human conscience and compassion. It suggests that this can be achieved through reconnecting to the innate affection most people have for animals (not just pets) which is often stifled or discouraged in a modern consumer society.

The Witness, an award winning documentary, tells the story of a personal miracle, a change in perception. Eddie Lama is an architectural metals contractor in New York, with a mission to raise awareness about animal suffering.

Growing up in a violent neighbourhood in the Bronx, Eddie frequently witnessed friends harm zoo animals at night or chase cats down alleys with intent to harm. The only reason he didn’t participate himself, he says, was fear. Eddie never had a pet growing up. Having been raised in a family with an aversion to pets, Eddie was afraid of animals.